Risk Management Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

Share 0
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share0
Tweet0
Share0

Key Steps to a Successful Bunnings 
Sausage Sizzle

"Everything you need to know to get the most out of your Bunnings Sausage Sizzle fundraiser"

What you need to know: risks, costs & planning your fundraiser

There are many things to think about if you’re considering running a Bunnings sausage sizzle. Get the most out of your fundraiser with proper planning and preparation and be in for a fun and stress-free day, raising the funds you need. 


In this article, we cover important information from what you need to know before you start and useful tips for the day itself.


Find out about the Bunnings sausage sizzle application letter, the equipment you’ll need, shopping for supplies, managing the float and money, organising volunteers, food handling, health and safety, risk management and insurance.

Please take a moment to share this with your team:

Everything you need to know: risks, costs and planning for a successful sausage 


sizzle fundraiser #bunningssausagesizzle #fundraisertips
Click to Tweet

Before you start


You’ll need to apply to run a fundraising sausage sizzle. Here are some important 

points to help you get started.

  • Call your local Bunnings store to book a sausage sizzle. The quickest way to get a booking is to speak with the Warehouse Activities Organiser
  • The store will need to be in the same local area as your not-for-profit or charity that you’re fundraising for
  • You may need to book four to six months in advance as bookings can fill quickly with lengthy waitlists

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle Application Letter

  • If you’re not already on the waitlist, you can write a letter of application using your organisation’s letterhead, addressed to the Activities Organiser
  • Your application letter will need to be from a Not-For-Profit or charitable organisation with an ABN. It will also need to have your contact details and state your reason for raising funds
  • There are no fees involved, however, once your booking is confirmed by email, you’ll need to sign the confirmation and provide a Certificate of Currency for your Public Liability Insurance
  • When you have confirmed and secured a date, Bunnings will provide you with an information pack detailing requirements for logistical, catering and items you need

Sausage Sizzle Risks

It’s vital that you consider the risks when you’re planning to run a sausage sizzle fundraiser. Prepare yourself, be aware of what could go wrong and protect your organisation appropriately. This is an important part of making sure your fundraiser is a success. 

Health & Safety

When you run a sausage sizzle, it’s your duty to make sure everyone involved is safe by minimising all risks that can cause harm to yourself, your volunteers and the public

Food handling and hygiene

Australia has stringent food and safety standards. Here are some useful tips and 

resources to make sure you’re handling food safely.

  • Wash hands regularly and thoroughly
  • Use gloves when cooking and handling food
  • Clean and sanitise all food preparation and cooking surfaces
  • Cook sausages until juices run clear and serve meat immediately
  • Place onions below the sausage to stop onions from falling out causing a slip hazard
  • Use tongs or other equipment to handle food
  • Ensure that hot food is kept hot and cold food is kept cold
  • Avoid cross contamination - keep raw and cooked food separate
  • Be aware of allergens
  • Be aware of use by/best before dates
  • Refer to Australian and New Zealand Food Standards for more guidelines
Volunteer Safety

A responsible adult should be in charge of the BBQ at all times. Bunnings have a requirement that volunteers must be over 16 years of age to cook food on the BBQs. If your organisation employs the use of volunteers regularly, you may also like to consider Volunteer Workers Insurance. This cover offers protection for those who so generously give up their time for the benefit of your organisation

Child Safety

If you have children or students assisting with the fundraiser, you must consider child safety risks and child safety procedures. Only volunteers over the age of 16 should be permitted to participate. Ensure that tasks are allocated within the ability and skill set of the young volunteer. Supervisors who would have direct oversight of a group of young people would also have to have Working With Children Checks. 

Public Liability

This is when a member of the public makes claims against your organisation, as the fundraising event organiser for negligence or damages that they believe you have caused. Possible risks and risk management strategies to prevent a Public Liability claim:

  • Slips, trips and falls - ensure area around marquee is free from hazards (e.g. power leads, oil spills, boxes or other tripping hazards
  • Gas bottles are safe and have have been checked prior to use https://www.elgas.com.au/swapngo/bbq-safety-tips/
  • Have a cordoned off area behind BBQ to prevent members of the public coming into contact with hot plates

  • Burns and scalds - ensure you have a team member with first aid certification and that a first aid kit is available

  • Wet weather risks - puddles or slippery surfaces which create a hazard
  • Food poisoning due to poor food handling procedures

  • Fire risks - do you have ready access to an appropriate fire extinguisher and ensure someone knows how to use it correctly  https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-04/Fire-Extinguishers-Information-Sheet.pdf

Insurance

You will need to check if you have the appropriate cover for running the sausage sizzle fundraiser.


As an absolute minimum, you’ll need to have Public Liability Insurance cover to the value of at least $10 million (although the industry standard seems to be moving towards $20 million) and provide a current certificate for this cover to confirm your Sausage Sizzle booking with Bunnings. 

Why public liability amounts are increasing

As society becomes more litigious, the need for Public Liability grows.  When someone is injured or suffers a loss due to the negligence of another person or organisation, the law dictates that the injured party is entitled to compensation for their injury or loss. 


In the case of bodily injury or death, the Courts can award significant compensation costs such as medical costs, loss of earnings, loss of future earnings, pain and suffering, mental anguish etc to the claimant.  


In addition the cost of defending a claim or having a third parties legal costs awarded against you can also be significant.  Claims costs can escalate even further if a number of people are effected by the same incident.  


A significant incident where perhaps 4-5 people are significantly burned by a BBQ explosion could result in huge claims/compensation costs against the organiser of an event.  


Without Public Liability, the organisation would be responsible for covering costs themselves.  Inability to do so could result in directors of the organisation being pursued personally, and the reputation of the organisation being severely damaged.

If you’re running regular fundraisers, you may like to also consider Voluntary Worker Insurance which covers your volunteers 24/7, if they accidentally injure themselves while carrying out any unpaid duties. Find out more about this type of cover here: Valuing and Protecting Our Volunteers

Sausage Sizzle Hours and Pricing

Bunnings sets the maximum price for the sausages and cans of drinks that you sell, and the hours that you can run the sausage sizzle. Do your research and shop around for your supplies to get the most out of your fundraiser. You may like to consider asking a sponsor to donate the items you need for a good cause.

  • $2.50 for sausage on bread
  • $1.50 per can of drink (it’s not possible at all stores to sell drinks, check with your local store)
  • Most stores will require the sausage sizzle to run from 8am to 4pm

Planning


Allow yourself enough time to plan everything out so that your sausage sizzle 

fundraiser runs as smoothly as possible. Make sure you have all the right equipment, 

organise your volunteers and clearly communicate their roles, shifts and 

expectations so everyone knows what they’re doing. 

Equipment

Pack all your equipment so it’s ready to go the day before your sausage sizzle. 


Here’s a quick checklist to help you:

  • Aprons
  • Eskies (enough to keep sausages and drinks to be kept separately) 
  • Chopping board
  • Knives - bread knife, utility knife
  • Tongs
  • BBQ spatula
  • Cleaning products
  • Hand sanitiser

Volunteers

Once you’ve got your team of volunteers, you’ll need to organise them into 2-3 hour  shifts. For an 8am start, you’ll need to start cooking at 7.30am. Consider the following roles and functions for your volunteers.


You’ll also need a responsible adult to set up and pack up, checking in with Bunnings staff that these have been carried out correctly.


Communicate clearly with your team of volunteers so everyone knows what’s expected of them:

  • BBQ Captain: key person that ensures everything runs smoothly
  • Meet & Greet: assists customers with social distancing, and directs them to order and collect their food and drink
  • Customer Service: takes the customer orders and payment
  • Chef: cooks the onions and sausages
  • Server: responsible for the sauces and serving the food and drink

The day before

Now’s the time to make sure you have everything you need for the sausage sizzle.  Once you’ve done your shopping for supplies, you can slice the onions and prepare the float and money. Go through the checklist to make sure you have everything ready.

Shopping for supplies

Shop around for the best prices and avoid unnecessary wastage to get the most out of your fundraiser. Here are some useful tips on shopping for your sausage sizzle.

  • Check with your local Bunnings Warehouse Activities Officer on how much you can expect to sell - this can be dependent on weather and seasonal conditions
  • You can also go in the weekend before your sausage sizzle, and have a chat to the community group about how many sausages they’ve sold
  • Don’t forget to make a list of what you need! Here’s a handy guideline:
  • Sausages (50kg, beef)
  • Bread (30 loaves)
  • Onions (20kg sliced)

  • Sauces (tomato, BBQ, mustard, 2 litres of each)

  • Serviettes and paper towels

  • Foil trays

  • Soft drinks and water
  • Aluminium foil
  • Gloves
  • Oil
  • Rubbish bags

 Previous
Next

Tags

You may also like

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Subscribe to our newsletter now!